Downs®

Downs®

Softly, Superbly Constructed. Uniquely Styled.

One of the oldest and most respected names in the carpet industry, Downs has been synonymous with superbly constructed, elegant, and uniquely styled carpets for nearly 150 years. Today, the Downs tradition of quality, integrity, and unsurpassed luxury continues to be appreciated and enjoyed by active families who require silky softness underfoot, unbeatable performance and superior stain protection.

Downs® 25-Year Limited Stain Warranty

Your retailer offers you the following limited stain warranty, which is serviced by the 3M Service Center. If your carpet becomes stained within 25 years from the original date of purchase and you cannot remove the stain using 3M-recommended procedures in this brochure, the 3M Service Center will dispatch a qualified service technician to your home to remove the stain free of charge. If the stain cannot be removed, the 3M Service Center will arrange for the replacement of the affected area (the stained and adjacent areas extending to the nearest wall, doorway, or entrance) with the same carpet, or (if the same carpet is no longer available) carpet of comparable value based on original purchase price. Selection of replacement carpet other than Downs® will void the remainder of the 25-Year Limited Stain Warranty.

If replacement is authorized during the first 15 years of the warranty coverage, there will be no charge for the replacement carpet. You will be responsible for paying for any cushion replacement (as applicable) and labor charges plus disposal costs for the carpet and cushion.

Downs® Pro-Rated Schedule for Stain

1st - 15th Year 100% Coverage, Non-Pro-Rated, No Exclusions

16th - 25th Year 10% Coverage, Pro-Rated, Exclusions

All stains must be reported to the 3M Service Center within 5 days of occurrence and all replacements must be completed within 6 months of the first report of the stain to the 3M Service Center. Disposal of original carpet is required.

Proof of purchase of Downs® carpet is required to obtain service. (Retain the original receipt for the purchased carpet.)

This Limited Stain Warranty only applies to:

Downs® carpet purchased after August 31, 2010.

Downs® carpet professionally installed by your retailer in owner-occupied residential space where no commercial activity, including rental or daycare, takes place. Area rugs are not covered by this warranty.

Downs® carpet that has been properly maintained, which includes prompt attention to spots and spills using the 3M approved procedures as outlined in the 3M Carpet Care Guide. Failure to follow the carpet care requirements will void this warranty.

Downs® carpet that has been professionally cleaned at least once every 12-18 months from the date of installation by a carpet cleaning technician using hot water extraction. (You must retain your cleaning receipts for documentation.) While cleaning can be performed by any company, we recommend that you use only approved cleaning technicians. Improper or incorrectly performed cleaning voids this warranty. Call the 3M Service Center at 1-800-352-6789 for the name of the nearest approved cleaner.

Stains not covered by other warranties. If another warranty applies, it must be used.

NOTE:Some stains may reappear after removal due to residual soiling or the volume of liquid that may have soaked into the carpet cushion or backing. Warranty coverage for these non-permanent stains is limited to telephone stain removal assistance by a customer calling 1-800-352-6789 and, if necessary, a maximum of two (2) professional cleaner visits.

Neither your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer nor 3M are responsible for damage or staining caused by wear, crushing, matting, color fading, or damage caused by smoke, fire, flood, storms, wind, lightning, or any disaster; or for stains or damage from plumbing or appliance failure; or for carpet that has been burned, torn, cut or stained due to improper cleaning or maintenance, abuse, vandalism, or alteration.

This is not a cleaning contract and specifically excludes discoloration due to general soiling.

Service

To obtain service under this Limited Stain Warranty, contact the 3M Service Center at 1-800-352-6789 within 5 days of the occurrence of the stain. Service is available only in the United States and Canada.

This limited stain warranty may be transferred to a new owner of the carpet for a service fee of $100.00. The transfer must be handled by the original purchaser before the sale of the home and supported by receipts for maintenance as required by this warranty. Contact the 3M Service Center for details.

The obligation of your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer and 3M under this limited stain warranty shall be limited to removing the stain, and if the stain cannot be removed, to replacing the carpet as described above. Failure to follow the requirements set forth above will void this warranty. This limited stain warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights which vary from state to state and province to province.

Your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer and 3M exclude, and will not pay or be responsible for, any indirect, special, incidental, or consequential loss or damages under this limited warranty, such as claims for any loss, expense, or damage however arising under any theory of law.

This limited warranty is provided to you in lieu of all other express or implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, which are disclaimed hereunder. However, if such warranties are required as a matter of law, then they are limited in duration to the warranty period.

Some states or provinces do not allow limitation on how long an implied warranty lasts, and some provinces do not allow the exclusion or limitations of consequential or incidental damages, so the limitations or exclusions may not apply to you.

(See General Terms and Conditions on pages 25-26 for other conditions that apply.)

Limited Installation Warranty

Your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer guarantees the quality of workmanship to be professional and in keeping with the standards set by the carpet industry. Should installation service attributable to the original installation be required during the life of your floor, your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer will provide that service at no cost to you. “Life of Floor” means the length of the Limited Wear Warranty specified by the warranty level corresponding to the carpet you purchased. See the Warranty Information on page 13 for further details.

This warranty is valid only for original owner-occupied residential installations performed by a Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer or Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® authorized independent installer and will be invalid if the carpet condition is due to improper maintenance or cleaning, abuse, excessive moisture, vandalism, or alteration.

Please note that in most installations, seams are necessary. Our installers are trained to minimize seams; however, seams are inevitable and will not be invisible. This is quite normal, should be expected, and is not considered a defect under this Limited Installation Warranty.

Limited Fade Warranty

Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® warrants that any carpet style marked with the icon will not show a permanent color change due to exposure to sunlight or exposure to atmospheric contaminants (including ozone or oxides of nitrogen) for the period specified by the warranty level of the product purchased from the original date of installation. Permanent color change is defined as a rating of greater than one unit as measured by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) Gray Scale for standard comparison of the extent of the color differences.

Limited Pet Warranty

Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® warrants that any carpet style marked with the icon will resist stains from pet (domestic dog or cat) urine for the period specified by the warranty level of the product purchased from the original date of installation. Stain resistance means the ability of the carpet pile to resist (minimize or withstand) permanent stains. If permanent staining should occur that cannot be removed by using recommended suggestions, professional cleaning may be required. This warranty excludes any stains or damage resulting from vomit or feces, or any urine stain other than pet (domestic dog or cat) urine. Odor resulting from the covered pet urine stain is excluded. Wicking may occur requiring the pet urine area to be cleaned more than once. If above-mentioned stains are saturated and result in wicking, these stains will release with additional re-cleaning. Wicking is defined as a reappearance of previously cleaned stains due to liquid remaining in carpet backing or padding. It is strongly recommended that any remaining moisture be absorbed by placing several layers of white towels over the spot and weighing them down with a heavy object. This step is necessary even when the carpet doesn’t seem particularly damp. Cleaning of the affected area should begin immediately upon discovery. The more time that elapses before removal, the more difficult a stain will be to remove.

(See General Terms and Conditions on pages 25-26 for other conditions that apply.)

General Terms and Conditions for Carpet Warranties

In addition to the requirements previously specified for each respective limited warranty, the following general terms and conditions apply to each of the limited warranties unless otherwise specified. Warranty terms begin from the date of installation.

These limited warranties apply only to carpet installed in owner-occupied residential space where no commercial activity takes place. For purposes of these limited warranties, the terms “commercial activity” and “commercial application” shall mean an activity or application engaged in for business purposes, regardless of where such activity or application takes place, including but not limited to, such activity or application taking place in a store, office, apartments, warehouse, plant, facility, or other place of business or residential dwelling. Area rugs are not covered under this warranty.

See fiber manufacturers’ and carpet manufacturers’ separate warranties for the terms and conditions of these warranties. Each fiber manufacturer and carpet manufacturer has its own definitions and limitations with regard to stain, soil, and static resistance. Abnormal matting, crushing, or loss of texture retention from normal foot traffic is defined under the standard rating scales and definitions set forth by each fiber manufacturer or carpet manufacturer, as the case may be.

These limited warranties exclude carpet that has been put to abnormal use or conditions or abused in any way. “Abnormal use or conditions” includes, but is not limited to, water damage from plumbing, storm, or flood; damage from smoke or fire or other casualty event; damage from improper cleaning methods or materials; chairs on wheels; and from improper maintenance. “Abuse” is any use of the carpet that is unreasonable considering the normal and expected uses of a carpet in a residence.

To qualify for repair or replacement, the original sales receipt or other documentation that demonstrates proof of purchase must be supplied.

All carpet must be installed over proper cushion that meets the HUD UM 72A, Class 1 standards (USA) or CMHC standards in Canada.

These warranties apply only to the original purchaser and installation site and are not transferable. *Five-Star Rated product warranties are NOT transferable. Only Downs® Limited Stain Warranty is transferable. See pages 21-23 for more details.

These warranties apply only to residential installations performed by a Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer or Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® authorized independent installer.

Do not apply stain-repellent treatments which contain silicone, as they tend to accelerate soiling of carpets.

These warranties apply only if you follow regular carpet care and routine maintenance. Over time, normal foot traffic and soiling of a carpet will cause a change in any carpet’s appearance. Most carpets must be professionally cleaned with hot water extraction by an IICRC certified cleaner* at least once every 18-24 months to maintain warranty coverage. Call your Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® retailer for the name of the nearest approved dealer.

Flooring America®/Flooring Canada® SHALL UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES BASED UPON THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES, CONTRACTS, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL CLAIM. Some states or provinces do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. The foregoing warranties give you specific legal rights, and you may have other rights that vary from state to state or province to province.

If there is a conflict between these general terms and conditions and the limited warranties as specified, the limited warranties as specified shall control.